BULLETIN OF MARINE SCIENCE, 66(1): 73-96, 2000 POLYCHAETE FAUNA OF THE AEGEAN SEA: INVENTORY AND NEW INFORMATION Christos Arvanitidis ABSTRACT Examination of collections from the Aegean Sea and a review of the literature revealed that 592 polychaete species have been recorded from this area. Five of the species identi­ fied are reported for the first time from the Mediterranean and the Black Sea, 38 species are new records for the Eastern Mediterranean and 55 are new elements for the Aegean polychaete farma. Information on the habitat and the geographic distribution of the spe­ cies newly reported from the Eastern Mediterranean is given. The checklist of the Aegean Polychaeta is presented. Although being located in the vicinity of the Eastern Mediterra­ nean province and the Black Sea which are characterized as faunistically impoverished areas, the Aegean hosts a rich polychaete fauna, second in order in species diversity after the Western Mediterranean. The latter demonstrates the importance of this area in the understanding the patterns of polychaete distribution along the Mediterranean and the Black Sea. Although the history of the Polychaeta started in the Aegean (Aristotle, Historia Animalium) there was no inventory of this taxon until recently. Information on polycha­ etes of the Aegean Sea was provided by Brullé (1832), Forbes (1842, 1844), Quatrefages (1865) and Marenzeller (1893). Research on taxonomy and distribution of the polychaete fauna of the Aegean (Arvanitidis, 1994) has revealed that the majority of the hitherto known information on the group derives mainly from ecological and old faunal studies. Indeed, only a limited number of strictly systematic publications referring to the Aegean polychaetes exist (Harmelin 1968, 1969; Bailey, 1969; Dounas and Koukouras, 1989; Knight-Jones et al., 1991; Fitzhugh et al., 1994; Arvanitidis, 1994; Arvanitidis and Koukouras 1995, 1997; Simboura, 1996). Furthermore, it has been shown that a considerable number of species reported, not only from the Aegean, but also from the entire region of the Mediterranean and the Black Sea are either of uncertain status or their presence is doubtful (Arvanitidis and Koukouras, 1996). The present study is part of a research framework started in 1976, aiming to elucidate the status of the benthic farma of the Northern Aegean. The objectives of this study are: (1) to provide new information on the biodiversity of polychaetes of the Aegean, and (2) to present for the first time the inventory of the Aegean Polychaeta. M a t e r ia l s a n d M e t h o d s Material was collected from 230 stations, in depths between 0 and 1000 m, distributed all over the Northern Aegean except the Turkish coast (Fig. 1 ). Sampling was carried out by free and scuba diving and by various types of trawls, dredges and grabs. Detailed information on the sampling stations has been given by Voultsiadou-Koukoura (1986), Koukouras et al. (1992) and Vafidis et al. (1997). All specimens are deposited in the Museum of the Department of Zoology, University of Thessaloniki. 73 74 BULLETIN OF MARINE SCIENCE, VOL. 66, NO. 1,2000 KAVA l. A ALhX.ANDKOt. PO! IS THESSALONIKI T1IAS0S 166 SAMOTIIRAKI IMBROS (l im n o s ; VOLOS A LON ISOS ' SK I ATI IOS LESVOS -\2 0 2 / SKOPELOS '200b .SKYROS PSARA ATHENS ANDROS Figure 1. Map of the Aegean Sea, indicating the sampling stations. Stations sampled with dredges or fishing nets marked with bold lines and capital letters; stations sampled with SCUBA diving or grabs marked with full dots. The main areas of the Mediterranean are adapted from Por and Didmentman (1989). The area of the Eastern Mediterranean includes the Aegean Sea and the Levantine Basin. Information on the remainder of the Mediterranean areas and the Black Sea comes from the literature through 1997. Species of either uncertain status or doubtful presence in the Aegean were not taken into account in this study. R es u l t s A total of 83,791 individuals, belonging to 346 species was examined (Appendix 1). The new records from the Eastern Mediterranean are presented below with comments on their taxonomy, zoogeography and habitat. Family Aphroditidae Malmgren 1867 Laetmonice filicornis Kinberg 1855 Laetmonice filicornis, Fauvel, 1923; Hartmann-Schröder, 1971; Chambers, 1985. ARVANITIDIS: POLYCHAETA OF THE AEGEAN 75 Material Examined.— 1 ind., sta. F, 100 m, on sandy substrate. Distribution.— Known from the other parts o f the Mediterranean (Bellan, 1964a; Campoy, 1982). Cosmopolitan species (Fauvel, 1913; Pettibone, 1963; Fredj, 1974). Family Polynoidae Malmgren 1867 Malmgreniella andreapolis (McIntosh, 1874) Harmothoe andreapolis, Tebble and Chambers, 1982 Malmgreniella andreapolis, Pettibone, 1993 Material Examined.— 9 ind., sta. 95a, 107,1, 14-28 m, on soft substrate (from fine sand to clay). Distribution— . This is the first documented record for the Mediterranean waters. Known only from the North Atlantic according to Pettibone (1993). Malmgreniella darbouxi Pettibone 1993 Material Examined.— 1 ind., sta. I, 26 m, fine mud. Distribution.—Known only from its type-locality (Adriatic Sea, Pettibone, 1993). Family Sigalionidae Malmgren 1867 Sthenelais ctenolepis Claparède 1868 Sthenelais ctenolepis Claparède, 1868; Fauvel, 1923 Material Examined.— 9 ind., sta. 101, 102, 109, 7-21 m, coarse sands. Distribution.—An endemic species of the Mediterranean, recorded only from Gulf of Naples (Claparède, 1868), Adriatic Sea (Katzmann, 1972) and Gulf of Taranto (Gherardi andLepore, 1981). Family Phyllodocidae Williams 1851 Eteone flava (Fabricius 1780) Eteone flava, Fauvel, 1923; Hartmann-Schröder, 1971 Material Examined.— 1 ind., sta. F, 80 m, sandy substrate. Distribution.—Amoureux (1973) reported its presence in the Western Mediterranean without mentioning locality. Widely distributed in the Northern hemisphere (Hartmann- Schröder, 1971). Eulalia tripunctata McIntosh 1874 Eulalia tripunctata, Fauvel, 1923; Pleijel, 1993 Material Examined.—2 ind., sta. 19, 31, 1-3 m, hard substrate (assemblage of photophilus algae (AP)). 76 BULLETIN OF MARINE SCIENCE, VOL. 66, NO. 1,2000 Distribution.—Known from the Adriatic Sea (Gambi and Giangrande, 1988), Central Basin (Pleijel, 1993) and from the Western Mediterranean (Bellan, 1964a; Harmelin, 1964). Known also from the Northern Atlantic (Campoy, 1982; Pleijel, 1993). Family Pilargiidae Saint-Joseph 1899 Otopsis chardyi (Katzmann, Laubier and Ramos 1974) Otopsis sp. forse Otopsis longipes Katzmann, 1973a Otopsis katzmanni, Ramos, 1973 Otopsis chardyi Katzmann, Laubier and Ramos, 1974a Material Examined.— 1 ind., sta. H l, 900 m, muddy substrate. Distribution.—Known only from the Adriatic Sea (Katzmann et al., 1974). Remarks. —Katzmann et al. (1974) collected this species from a depth of 70 m (muddy sand). The findings from the Aegean show that Otopsis chardyi appears to be eurybenthic (70-900 m). Family Syllidae Grube 1850 Amblyosyllis dorsigera Claparède, 1864 Pterosyllis dorsigera Claparède, 1864 Amblyosyllis dorsigera, San-Martin, 1984a Material Examined.— 1 ind., sta. I, 33 m, muddy substrate. Distribution.—Also known from the Western Mediterranean, Madeira and Galapagos Islands (Campoy, 1982; San-Martin, 1984a). Amblyosyllis madeirensis Langerhans, 1879 Amblyosyllis madeirensis, San-Martin, 1984a Material Examined.— 3 ind., sta. 66, 6 m, hard substrate (assemblage AP). Distribution.—Also known from the Balearic Islands, Eastern Atlantic and Northern Pacific (San-Martin 1984a, 1990). Sphaerosyllis capensis Day, 1953 Sphaerosyllis capensis, Day, 1967; San-Martin, 1984a Material Examined.— 3 ind., sta. 106, 7 m, sandy substrate. Distribution.—It has been reported only from the Spanish coasts (San Martin et al., 1981). Known also from the Southern Atlantic, Indian Ocean and Red Sea (Day, 1967; Ben-Eliahu, 1977a). Sphaerosyllis thomasi San Martin, 1984 Sphaerosyllis thomasi San Martin, 1984a Material Examined.— 2 ind., sta. 102, 7 m, sandy substrate. ARVANITIDIS: POLYCHAETA OF THE AEGEAN 77 Distribution.—Known only from the Balearic Islands (San Martin 1984a,b). Syllis beneliahui Campoy and Alquezar, 1982 Langerhansia beneliahui, Campoy, 1982 Syllis beneliahui. San Martin, 1984a Material Examined.—7 ind., sta. 66, 75, 98a, 1-26 m, soft (silt) and hard substrate (assemblage AP). Distribution.—Known only from the Balearic, Columbretas Islands and the Spanish continental Mediterranean coasts (Campoy, 1982; San Martin, 1984a; Cardel and Gilli, 1988). Syllis columbretensis Campoy, 1982 Syllis columbretensis Campoy, 1982; San Martin, 1984a Material Examined.—55 ind., sta. 55, 63, 64, 66, 133a, 144a, G, 1-100 m, soft (sand) and hard substrate (assemblage AP and in the sponges Agelas oroides (Schmidt, 1864), Aplysina aerophoba Schmidt, 1862, andAxinella canabina (Esper, 1794)). Distribution—Also . known from the Columbretas, Balearic Islands, and from the Span­ ish Mediterranean coasts (Campoy, 1982; Atos, 1984; San-Martin, 1984a). Syllis gerlachi (Hartmann-Schröder, 1960) Typosyllis gerlachi Hartmann-Schöder, 1960 Syllis gerlachi, San Martin, 1992 Material Examined.— 2 ind., sta. 97, 108, 2-5 m, sandy substrate. Distribution.—In the Western Mediterranean, reported only from the Spanish coast (Alos, 1984; San Martin, 1984c). Known also from the Red Sea, and from the Atlantic (Ben-Eliahu, 1977b; Campoy, 1982; San Martin, 1992). Langerhansia caeca Katzmann, 1973 Langerhansia caeca Katzmann, 1973b Material Examined.— 6 ind., sta. H, 500-1,000 m, silty substrate. Distribution.—Reported from the Adriatic (Katzmann, 1973b), and from Balearic Is­ lands (Sarda,